This week has been tinged with sadness, as we know that it is the last week that all 10 pups will be together. On the plus side, there will be less pooh to pick up!
The pups were taken down to the vets in two separate cars on Saturday. We decided that this was the best course of action as they are getting too big to put more than four in a crate together, and we wanted them to be as comfortable as possible.
We arrived at the vets on time, with the minimum of fuss, despite the fact that we had been cleaning the house down after a particularly nasty pooh fest overnight in the pen! The pups were remarkably well behaved in the cars and only decided to voice their disapproval of being in the crates, when they arrived at the vets! The receptionists had quite a task to speak over the din of indignant pups. Finally the pups settled down and went to sleep, just as the vet was finally ready to see them..
We decided that it would be better to take the pups into the consulting room one crate at a time. The pups were checked all over and given their first immunisations. A card was completed for each puppy, and I had to shout out the colour of each pup and the sex for the veterinary assistant who was completing the cards for each pup.
The pups were all given a clean bill of health, and a few hundred pounds later, we left the surgery and headed back to the village.
What the pups didn't realise was that they were in for an "outdoor experience" courtesy of one of our neighbours who has a swanky gazebo with heat lamps et al…..
A purpose built play pen had been set up under the gazebo, complete with rubber matting and heat lamps above, just in case it got a little chilly.
The pups were all placed into the pen, and started desperately seeking a toilet area. They decided on an handy blanket, – this was swiftly replaced by a tray with some newspaper on, and remarkably they all toddled onto the tray and did their business! That was before they then decided that it would be a good idea to then shred all the newspaper and scatter it around the pen!
On Tuesday of the last week, I noticed that we were getting a little low on the Purina Beta Puppy kibbles, I decided that it was time that they transitioned onto the Large Breed puppy kibbles. These are much bigger than the kibbles that the puppies had been used to, so I was intrigued to see how they would deal with them. I needn't have worried, they proved to be a big hit and there were no kibbles left afterwards. I did mix them with the smaller kibbles and at first they appeared to pick out the smaller pieces that they were used to. I will monitor the toilet situation to see whether the new kibbles have any adverse effects. This will become very apparent, very quickly, so here's hoping that they react well to the change in diet!
By the end of the week the puppies are eating the larger kibbles with a dash of warm water! They seem to like it, although perhaps not as much as the smaller kibbles.
The first pup headed up the road to her new owners on Thursday night after our usual trips around the block in the car. There seemed to be quite a "hole" in the pen where the puppy had been – it's amazing the difference it makes losing just one puppy! We need to get used to this, as two more are going on Friday…..
Needless to say, Tilly does not seem to mind the fact that there are fewer and fewer puppies in the pen, as far as she is concerned, she has done her job and now it's up to us. I hope we have done the pups justice, so it's now up to the new owners to continue where we have left off, and bring up those pups to be the best dogs they can be.
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